No, The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum’s custodian hasn’t been lax in his duties. What at first glance may seem to be a prominently displayed pile of garbage is a new work by Lars Fisk entitled Trashbags, which will be on view September 14, 2008, through February 15, 2009.
For this project Fisk has transformed a single block of black marble into a sculpture inspired by a pile of seven heavy-duty twist-tie trash bags. The life-size sculpture, which stands 63 inches tall, references the visibility of garbage found on city streets and will be installed by the main Museum entrance.
The practice of defining the folds in the plastic began as an exercise in reductive classical sculpture and became a stonecutting preoccupation for the artist. The pile of bags represents a paradox of everlasting disposability, addressing the issue of waste and the underlying question of its permanence.
Lars Fisk was born in Burlington, VT, where he lives and works. In 2005 he completed an MFA at Columbia University, New York, in 1993 a BA at University of Vermont, Burlington, and in 1991 studied at Temple University, Rome. Fisk has exhibited extensively in the United States. Solo exhibitions include Taxter & Spengemann, New York (2006 and 2004); Firehouse Center for the Visual Arts, Burlington, VT (2003); and Robert Hull Fleming Museum, Burlington, VT (2002). Group exhibitions include Overbite/Underbite, Ritter/Zamet, London (2007); Greater New York, P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, Long Island City, NY (2005); Biennial of Public Art, Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase College, NY (2003); The DeCordova Annual Exhibition, DeCordova Museum & Sculpture Park, Lincoln, MA (2003); Buy Contortions, Taxter & Spengemann (2003); Emerging Artists Fellowship Exhibition, Socrates Sculpture Park, Long Island City, NY (2001); The Directors/Curators Invitational Exhibition, Franconia Sculpture Park, Shafer, MN (2000); What’s the Big Idea?, Contemporary Arts Center, North Adams, MA (2000); On the Ball: the Sphere in Contemporary Sculpture, DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park (1999); Post-Pastoral: New Images of the New England Landscape, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH (1998). Fisk is currently a project manager at Socrates Sculpture Park.
The Aldrich will host a reception to celebrate the exhibition on Sunday, September 14, 2008, from 3 to 5 pm. Refreshments will be served. Free round-trip transportation from New York City is available for members (non-members $15). For reservations please call 203.438.4519.
Aldrich exhibitions are supported, in part, by the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism and the National Endowment for the Arts.
